This is just round one of this whole process because I have plenty of new items to swatch for pending #LipSwatchWeek (s). I'd suggest going through your entire collection ever so often to make sure the products haven't gone bad. Unlike powder products, lipsticks and glosses do change in consistency and scent relative quickly - some quicker than others.Passing on

Sometimes yuh just gotta break up with things that you know you're not gonna use. No matter how pretty they are. The only disappointing thing above is the Nivea Lip Butter. I was so excited to pick these up in NYC cause I am yet to see these scents in Barbados. Unfortunately, this 'Cocoa Butter Kiss' scent and me ain't adding up. Trash

Alas, the crime of not using up a product before it goes bad 😢 such a pity. Those Revlon Lip Butters actually don't smell bad but I have had …

I was to do a Faves In Five post since October. After that didn't materialize I decided to compile everything here. So, prepare to scroll. Also, click the links for more information. Many of these items weren't new to the market in 2016, just new to me.

M.A.C 221

I almost went with the Wayne Goss #19 but I've come to expect a certain quality from his brushes. That's not to say that M.A.C quality is poor but sometimes it's the luck of the draw. This brush was sadly limited edition; they absolutely need to bring it back. Talk about a perfect blender brush for people with small eyes! Cha man.

This features a mixture of chemical and physical exfoliators that assist in acne management. If you have sensitive skin I wouldn't recommend this one because it does contain menthol. It doesn't bother me though and I especially like the consistency of this product as a physical exfoliator.

This is a softer physical exfoliator than the Murad but it has double the percentage of salicylic acid. It's readily accessible in Barbados and I've repurchased it numerous times. Although it only contains beta hydroxy acid (BHA) …

I have a problem. Well clearly I have two problems: I obviously feel like I have to try every lip liner on the market and I take too long to actually try them. Evidenced by taking stock of the above captioned category and discovering that I had 57 lip liners in my stash; 16 of which were still in their plastic wrapping. Shameful.

What's more shameful is that after hours of swatching and comparing and swatching again I could only find 13 that I was willing to part with. Sigh. Plum and nude/brown lip liners like dem is my kryptonite.

This is a tip that I heard a while ago yet I don't see many people do it when I watch beauty videos on Youtube.

We all know the heartache of mascara transferring to our eyelids and potentially ruining the eyeshadow work. Bonus tip: if this happens to you wait until the mascara dries then remove the product with a qtip. This usually happens when we're working with a particularly wet formula like the ones from L'Oreal. So what do we do to prevent that? Apply mascara to our lower lashes first.

Many moons ago, the international trainer at a M.A.C In Mode class I attended made reference to the "mascara face". He said: "stick your booty out, tilt your head back, open your mouth and make that mascara face". 😂 Whether that was just for dramatic effect I dunno but I do know that the combination of applying mascara to my lower lashes first plus slightly tilting my head back while applying to my upper lashes has greatly decreased my mascara mishaps.

In December I went on a cruise for the first time. It was an experience; from being seasick to actually eating breakfast every morning by a particular time. Definitely one for the books. Cruising is a cost effective way to see a few destinations in one trip...you don't get to stay for long but hey...

St. Lucia St. Kitts St. Maarten St. Croix Puerto Rico
The Caribbean really is beautiful.

Of course I had to check out the beauty shops along the way; the exception being St. Lucia. I took a tour of the Top 10 Sights and by the time it got back to town I was exhausted.

In Basseterre, St. Kitts I found a beauty supply store much like #1 Beauty Supply etc. I was on the hunt for a brow gel since I'd realised the night before that I forgot all of my brow products at home. Alas, I didn't see what I was looking for but surprisingly the Maybelline Color Jolt line was there.

Next stop St. Maarten aka luxury makeup shopping paradise. The store Vanity First and Lipstick have Guerlain, Chanel…